Climb up the hidden peaks of the Purbecks. Explore the ancient ridgeway route, scattered with Bronze Age barrows, Iron Age earthworks, and medieval tofts and crofts. Enjoy views over Poole Harbour to Poole and Bournemouth in the north and the wooded valley of the Corfe River to Weymouth and the Isle of Portland in to … Continue reading Church Knowle
Tag: Poole harbour
Corfe Mullen
Venture down the smuggler’s lanes of Corfe Mullen. The route cut through the landscape by the Romans, speeding up supplies from Poole Harbour to their mighty, military Fort at Lake Farm. Cross over brick bridges that span rivers of trees, the embankments once filled with steam as the old Slow and Dirty chugged its way … Continue reading Corfe Mullen
Morden
Delve deep into the ancient woodland surrounding the small settlement of Morden. Walk along the old tracks and trails through deer parks, past ancient stone sites and skimming hidden hillforts. Wander through the landscape, controlled by the Lords of Charborough Park and scattered with mighty oak trees. Dive under pylon wires, as they stomp across … Continue reading Morden
Stoborough
Explore the landscape caught between quarries and the army. Starting at a fresh green space, bordered by an ancient barrow, cross the railway that rose like a phoenix from the ashes. Clamber into heathlands skimming the military training area, through the wild landscape of Purbeck Nature Reserve. Wander past derelict farms and million pound houses … Continue reading Stoborough
West Knighton
Wander through a landscape where the villages have been deserted, woods exploited and the ground quarried. A landscape, full of forest, heath, floodplains and a lonely standing stone, which was once bustling with life from the medieval period, through both World Wars and up to modern day. The Norman knights, American soldiers and extraction machinery have … Continue reading West Knighton
Wytch
Off the tourist trail on the Isle of Purbeck, filling the low land between Corfe Castle and Poole Harbour, is Wytch Heath. Follow medieval trails over little stone bridges through a once heavily industrial landscape, it’s resources tapped since the Bronze Age. Skim the oil refinery, hidden behind thick Corsican pines and hard working nodding donkeys, … Continue reading Wytch
Kingston Lacy to Badbury Rings
Skim the southern corner of the Kingston Lacy estate, walking between the historically feuding neighbours of the Bankes and the Erles. Explore the medieval routes that once connected the estates to the surrounding countryside. Walk through the beech tree avenue, one of the most iconic scenes of the county, to reach Badbury Rings. Follow the … Continue reading Kingston Lacy to Badbury Rings
St Peter’s Finger
Starting at the village pub, St Peter's Finger, wander between country estates and World War crash sites, not all with a sorry ending. Discover the old roads of the landscape, one topped with concrete the other with grass breaking through. Explore the county lanes and medieval woodland tracks to Foxhill, with views across an ancient … Continue reading St Peter’s Finger